WordPress performance
WordPress performance is how quickly and efficiently a site loads and responds, measured mainly through Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS), Time to First Byte, and total page weight. Improving it works across several layers at once: the server (managed hosting with page and object caching, a current PHP version, enough memory), the database (fewer post revisions, object caching to cut repeat queries), asset delivery (minifying CSS and JavaScript, deferring non-critical scripts, serving WebP images, using a CDN), and code quality (removing unused plugins, loading assets only where they’re needed). It’s worth the effort because the payoff is concrete: Google and Deloitte found a one-second improvement in mobile load time raised conversions by an average of 27 percent, which makes performance a business concern, not just technical tidiness.
How I use this
I treat WordPress performance as a compounding problem, because every plugin added over the years runs a little more code on every page, so the slowdown creeps in gradually and nobody notices the day it tipped. My first move on a sluggish site is usually subtraction (removing what isn't earning its weight) before I add anything new to speed it up.
Also known as: WordPress speed, WP performance, WordPress optimization, site optimization, WordPress optimisation
Where this term comes up
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Glossary entries are a starting point. The real question is usually what to do about the thing once you understand it.
When you are ready to go further, the related guides take this from definition to fix.
And if you would rather just ask a person, I read everything that comes to christopher@thisismyurl.com.
I have been working in WordPress since 2007, so most of these terms come with a story.
Still mapping the basics? The full glossary is here whenever you need it.